The Mom's Cheat Sheet » birthday

Stay Organized – Keep Phone Numbers and Birthdays Accessible

admin — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:01:07 +0000

Are you always forgetting birthdays, or digging through papers to find important phone numbers?

We all know about mommy brain. It happens to the best of us, and is usually pretty harmless… but sometimes it gets you into trouble. With all of the things that we moms are responsible for remembering, it’s very easy to let things slip through the cracks some days. You’re busy planning the Halloween party for your son’s preschool class, have tons of errands to run, and the in-laws coming over for dinner tonight. Suddenly you realize you’ve forgotten your niece’s birthday, your sister’s wedding anniversary, and you can’t find the phone number for your husband’s new number at work. Sound familiar?

I’m always brainstorming ways to make my life easier, and one thing I’ve found is to keep lists in plain view. Above our computer desk in the kitchen is a medium sized bulletin board with push-pins. On this, we like to keep a print-out of important phone numbers, and important dates. Keeping these things handy is especially helpful because it saves time, effort, and helps you remember things that you may forget otherwise.

When posting a list of important phone numbers, remember to include the following:

Household phone number (this is helpful if you have a babysitter over, and she needs to know the home line)
Cell phone numbers
Work phone numbers
Emergency contacts (also helpful for a babysitter, in case she is unable to reach you in an emergency)
Poison Control
Local police – non emergency line
Pediatrician
Your primary care physician
(If you’re pregnant) OB and hospital

I’ve found this list very helpful, and I’ve had friends comment on ours and make one of their own. It certainly saves us time when we’re looking up numbers we don’t call very often (like the doctor) and is helpful when we leave the kids with a sitter. I know that if there is some emergency and we are out of reach for some odd reason, the sitter has the number for our parents down the road, poison control, the police, etc. It’s a relief to know that it’s all in one place, and easy to find.

Having a list of important dates is also helpful, especially if you have a large extended family. Personally, we have a long list of fall birthdays, and I can get them mixed up. It’s very helpful to have them written down by month on the list, and makes life much easier when we’re making plans or buying birthday cards. It means a lot to people when you remember a birthday or anniversary, and we’ve found this to be a helpful way to remember those important dates.

Save yourself some brain power, time, and energy – and make these lists. It’s a little thing, but it just may make your life a bit easier.

- Grace

Simple, Easy Birthday Ideas

admin — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 02:13:08 +0000

My oldest daughter just turned four on Friday, so I am in birthday mode right now. I’ve been making cakes, planning her little party, and getting things ready for other family members to come over to celebrate with us on different days. It’s been quite busy around here, that’s for sure.

Since my daughters’ birthdays are six weeks apart, August and September are times that I’m on the lookout for ideas. Though we just finished “birthday season” here, I found this great post from Simple Mom’s blog that I wanted to share. I’ll have to file this one away and pull it out next year, because I love these ideas. My favorite –

“If your toddler delights in story time at the public library, create a party activity in which the guests create a giant card to say “thank you” to the librarians and library staff. If your preschooler is fascinated with fire trucks, invite party guests to make several batches of cookies or other sweet treats to deliver to the local fire department.”

What a great idea! For the rest of Simple Mom’s ideas, you can read A Birthday Alternative: Less Stuff, More Fun. [Simple Mom]

Adorable Cakes for Kids

admin — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 12:52:15 +0000

My four year old daughter wanted a Spiderman theme for her birthday. Part of me wanted to embrace whatever she chose, thinking “Hey, she’s 4… should I really care if it’s Spiderman?” The other part of me just couldn’t envision having a Spiderman theme for my tiny princess, especially since she has never even seen the movie or had much to do with it. Of course it took her all of thirty seconds to blink and see the Tinkerbell party supplies. That did it. I knew she’d change her mind as soon as she looked two feet to the right!

It’s not that I mind Spiderman, but I know that she’s been talking about Tinkerbell and Princesses for her birthday for months now. We already talked about a cake, and she has some very specific ideas about it! One thing she wants for sure is a “Princess Cake.” Loving a baking challenge, I decided to search for ideas.

I had some things in mind already, but couldn’t quite visualize it in my head. I decided to Google it, and came across a great site with plenty of inspiration. I’m on the fence between the “Cinderella Castle Cake” and the “Princess Castle Cake.” What do you think?

Birthday & Celebration Cakes [Disney Family Fun]

Easy to Make, Affordable Party Decor

admin — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 19:00:33 +0000

My daughter’s birthday is next week, and I’m brainstorming ideas for the little party she’s having with some of her girlfriends. I’d love to do something cool for the decorations, although I’m feeling a little low on ideas, and I don’t want to go broke at Target in the party aisle.

That’s why when my friend Erin emailed me this link I was particularly excited. This blog provides excellent instructions on this affordable, beautiful, and easy to make decoration. Another thing that excites me about this particular idea is that it can be used for any type of event – birthday parties, showers, holidays, etc. See for yourself – and let me know if you try it out!

Creative Party Decorations [Balancing Beauty and Bedlam]